Paradise Fibers Mary's Robe - 75% Shetland Wool, 25% Eri Silk Fiber Blend

Mary's Robe is one of two Paradise Fibers blends inspired by Fra Angelico's Annunciation, the fresco he painted at the top of the dormitory stairs in the convent of San Marco, Florence, around 1440. Gabriel kneels under a loggia, and Mary sits wrapped in a robe of deep blue. This is that blue: a 75/25 blend of blue Shetland wool and natural white Eri silk, combed into a top for spinning. Its companion, Angel Wings, takes the other figure in the painting.

Why these two fibers

Shetland is a springy British wool with real memory. It is the wool behind Shetland lace shawls and Fair Isle colorwork, and it gives this blend its bounce and its structure. Eri is the quiet silk. It comes from a moth that leaves its cocoon before the silk is processed, which is why it is called peace silk, and because the cocoon is open at one end it cannot be reeled like mulberry silk. It is spun from staple instead, so it has a soft, matte, almost cotton-like hand rather than a high shine. In the blend it adds strength, drape and warmth without making the yarn slippery.

That combination is built for two things: lace with enough body to hold a blocked pattern, and socks with the give of wool and the durability of silk. It also spins well for colorwork, where the Shetland keeps stitches crisp.

How to spin it

Start with a short forward draw at a medium ratio and spin it a little finer than you think you want; the Shetland blooms when the yarn is washed. For lace, ply two singles and block hard. For socks, a three-ply from the same singles wears longer. Wash the finished yarn in warm water and let it dry flat.

At a glance

The blue in the painting

Renaissance painters made that blue from ultramarine, ground from lapis lazuli carried overland from what is now Afghanistan. It cost more than gold, and contracts often specified how much of it a painter had to use. Reserving it for Mary's robe was a way of saying what she was worth. Fra Angelico, a Dominican friar as well as a painter, used it with unusual restraint, which is why the robe reads as calm rather than showy. The blend follows the same idea: one strong color, carried by a fiber that does not shout.

Is Eri silk the same as mulberry silk?

No. Mulberry is reeled from a closed cocoon and is glossy and smooth. Eri is spun from an open cocoon and is matte and soft, closer to fine cotton in the hand. Eri is also the one that lets the moth live.

Will it felt?

The Shetland will felt with heat and agitation, so it works for needle felting and wet felting. The silk stays put and shows as a pale fleck.

How much do I need?

Four ounces spins a generous shawlette or a pair of socks. Eight ounces is a full-size lace shawl.